Red Hooded Secrets
by YoursTruly101
Summary: Despite the fact that Henry and Valerie were no longer engaged, secrets still floated about them, threatening the very life that they knew best, the friendships that had formed, and the bonds of love that had been sealed.  Spoiler Alert!
1. A Reminder

**Red Hooded Secrets**

**A **_**Red Riding Hood **_**Fanfiction **

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. **

**Chapter 1: A Reminder**

Flowing red along the white snow, the color of blood, the hood given to her by her grandmother. "I made it for your wedding," she told Valerie a short time after her older sister Lucy had been murdered by the wolf, shocking the small town with grief. It had been twenty years since the wolf had last struck terror upon the town. This town, Daggerhorn, was notorious for the unthinkable stories of the "big bad wolf." Every day for the past six years, Valerie woke up, still finding it hard to believe that her own beloved father was that beast who took so many innocent lives. It was as if she learned this fact every morning when she rolled out of bed and placed her feet on the ground, ready for another day.

He jumped out from behind a tree and grabbed Valerie's hand. "Peter!" she shrieked. Peter pulled her in for a kiss. "Frighten me, why don't you!" she laughed, pulling away for a few seconds. Snow began falling down all around them, spotting Valerie's red cloak and the hood that covered her blonde locks.

"How are you?" Peter asked his wife. They had married four years ago after Peter retreated into the forest for a seemingly endless two years to learn to control himself. Before dying, Valerie's father bit Peter, forever changing him into a werewolf. In order to protect Valerie and the town, Peter left.

"Better now that you're here." She took his hand and began walking back to the house. "C'mon, let's go home. You're not even wearing a coat, Peter. You're going to get sick, I swear, if you do not take care of yourself."

He laughed. "Okay, Mother!" he retorted sarcastically. Peter and Valerie wanted to start a family, they really did, but the fear of how Peter's... genes... would affect their children prevented them from doing so. "Speaking of, have you spoken to your mother lately, Val?" he asked.

"Yes, actually," she replied. "Today. It seems... it seems as if she is slowly getting over father. I don't know if 'getting over' is the correct term, but do you know uh Henry's uncle? John Lazar?" Peter nodded in response as they both stepped over a small log that had fallen along their usual path. He would move that later. "He and mother are engaged."

Peter arched an eyebrow in question. "Engaged? Engaged as to be married?"

"Yes, engaged to be married! What else?" she laughed, but at the same time was irritated by Peter's moment of stupidity. "His wife died six years ago by the..."

"Yes, I know. No need to speak of it." The term "wolf" was rarely used between the couple. The word was off limits, so to speak. Maybe they referred to it as "the incident" or Peter's "side job" or sometimes even "business affair." The word "wolf," though, was hardly ever spoken. It hurt too much for the both of them. To Peter, it was a reminder of his ways and what he was, even though he had never killed a human being... yet. To Valerie, it was a reminder of the lives her father had ruthlessly taken. It was a reminder of what pulsed through her blood since the day she was born. It was a reminder that she could not have the one thing she wanted more than anything. It was a reminder that she and Peter could never start a family.

"I don't know. It's weird... that she's involved with another man other than my father. I mean, you know about Henry's father, but still, I never thought she would move on after her husband so mysteriously disappeared." But in actuality, Valerie's father never really disappeared. After Peter and Valerie had killed her father, the werewolf, they had no choice but to hide the evidence from the town by sinking the body in the lake. If anyone were to discover that Valerie was the blood daughter of the werewolf, she would undoubtedly be hanged.

"Oh well." Peter shrugged. "Let her have her fun!" They both laughed, trying to shake the mental image out of their minds. "Prudence is engaged, also."

"Finally. I thought she would never find a man willing to put up with her!" Stubborn as always, Prudence had refused to believe Valerie was innocent when the town attempted to sacrifice her to the werewolf. Valerie was accused of witchcraft after supposedly speaking to the wolf, her father. The memory was still fresh in Valerie's mind: peering out of the holes of the metal wolf mask, she watched as Prudence said, "The wolf is coming. You're gonna get what you deserve." Valerie, eventually, did find it in her heart to forgive Prudence.

"Who is she marrying?" she asked Peter.

There was a prolonged silence. Why was Peter not responding?

Finally, he replied. "Henry."

"Oh." Butterflies flew through out Valerie's stomach. "Good for them." Henry was engaged to Valerie for a short time. He called off the engagement, though, when he realized that she would never love him as she loved Peter. Why be forced into something that was just not there? When Peter returned the Village, he and Henry got to know each other better; they actually became really good friends. Henry would still do anything for Valerie and still loved her. This love, however, had slowly turned into one that he knew he could not have. She had chosen Peter, and Henry had to respect that.

Despite the fact that Henry and Valerie were no longer engaged and he and Peter were good friends, secrets still floated about them, threatening the very life that they knew best, the friendships that had formed, and the bonds of love that had been sealed.


	2. Full Moon

**Red Hooded Secrets**

**A **_**Red Riding Hood **_**Fanfiction **

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. **

**Chapter 2: Full Moon **

Valerie sighed as she hung the red cloak on a hook right inside the front door of her home, the home that had once belonged to her grandmother. "How was your full moon?" Valerie asked Peter.

"Just peachy," he responded fatly. Peter hated full moons. So did Val. For one, it meant that they were forced to separate once a month, but it also meant that Valerie's life and the lives of those who lived in Daggerhorn were in danger. With every full moon, Peter would return to his wolf form. "It gets rather boring," he told Valerie. At first, he spent his time distracting himself from following with his natural instincts of ravaging the town. He also thought about all the people—Valerie, her family and friends, his family and friends—he would hurt in the process if his instincts were to take over. That usually helped in calming his thoughts, though. But now that he was fully in control of himself, Peter mostly spent his time just sitting there, waiting to return to his human body.

Valerie liked to imagine Peter out in the forest sitting beneath a large tree in his wolf form with his black fur lightly rustling in the wind. At night, when he was gone, she would lay in bed, conjuring up an image of Peter licking his paw. She opened her eyes, laughing.

"Actually," Valerie began, "I need to run into town to get something from my mother. I'll be back. Do you need anything?" Peter shook his head in reply as she turned to grab the red riding hood. She always enjoyed the walk between home and the town; it was calming, walking along the same familiar path that she had walked along since she was a child. The path had changed slightly, though. Peter had made the pathway more distinct by lining it with stones, bricks, and logs. This way, it was harder to stray off the path and therefore, get lost.

The cold, sinister looks Valerie would receive from people whenever she walked through Daggerhorn had slowly decreased. People had come to accept—or most likely, ignore—her. Yes, she was the girl who spoke to the werewolf. Yes, she was the girl who was sacrificed for the werewolf. Yes, she was Valerie, the girl with the blood red riding hood.

Stepping up onto her mother's porch, Valerie heard her name being called. "Valerie?" a man's voice rang out. She quickly turned around to face Henry, and a smile instantly spread across her face. "Henry," she said, memories flooding her mind like they did every time she laid eyes on him. "How are you?" she asked him. "Oh, congratulations! You two must be very happy, no?"

"Yeah," Henry replied, looking down at his feet. "I guess." Valerie detected a hint of regret in his voice. "How's Peter? I haven't seen him in a few days." Neither had Valerie.

"Really? Well, he's great! You know, you and Prudence should come over tomorrow night. I'll fix supper and we can all have a chance to catch up. I haven't spoken to Prudence in quite some time." And there was a reason for that.

"That sounds great, Valerie. Thank you! I will ask Prudence if she is free. Will you still be at your mother's house a short time from now?" he asked.

"Yes, but I want to be home by night fall." They exchanged goodbyes and went on their way—Henry to talk to his fiancé and Valerie to her mother's.

Henry found Prudence sitting outside her home with her little sister. Prudence immediately told her sister to go inside so she could speak to Henry. "Do you have plans tomorrow night?" he asked, not noticing the look that washed across her face. It was a look of...excitement? Conspiracy? Maybe it was pain? One would never know.

"To do what?" she asked, a subtle smirk taking over her mouth.

"Peter and Valerie have invited us over."

At first, Prudence wanted to say no. Why would she ever want to go to a _witch's_ home? "I'd love to," she responded instead. She might was well—there had to be something that girl was hiding, and Prudence was going to make sure all of Daggerhorn discovered Valerie's secret, whatever it was.


	3. A Night To Remember

**Red Hooded Secrets**

**A **_**Red Riding Hood **_**Fanfiction **

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. **

**Chapter 3: A Night To Remember**

Taking the red riding hood off of the hook next to the door, Valerie folded up her beloved cloak and placed it in the trunk that sat at the end of the bed. She looked up at Peter. "Behave tonight," she demanded of him.

"Henry's my closest friend; you don't need to tell me to behave." Valerie looked up at him, pursing her lips and giving him a look that said _Really, Peter? Really? _"Yes, yes, I know. Prudence. No rude comments."

"No rude comments, looks, anything. I know you hate her, but—"

Peter cut her off. "She's a little harlot, and besides, she thinks you're... you're a.."

"Witch," Valerie finished for him. "It's okay, it's okay. She can think what she wants. We are having them over because they are our friends so we must act like friends, Peter." Peter knelt down and began to tend to the fire. "It'll be fine. Plus, afterwards, we can laugh at how unbelievably dull she is."

"It'll be fine," he repeated, reassuring both Valerie and himself. Just then, there was a light knock on the door. "Showtime," Peter muttered. Valerie rolled her eyes just before opening the front door to face Henry and his new fiancé, Prudence.

The night went smoothly. A few "looks" passed between Peter and Valerie when Prudence said something that, in any other occasion, was utterly laughable. They kept their comments to themselves, however, until after the couple left.

Peter stood up to once again tend to the fire. Shoving his sleeves gently up his arms, he revealed the everlasting scar. At this moment, Henry glanced in the fire's direction, his eyes skimming over the scar and moving on. Quickly, though, his eyes returned to the scar that marked the inside of Peter's wrist.

"Peter," Henry began, "Let me help you go outside to retrieve more firewood." He stood up, Peter following. They both made their way outside, but as soon as the door was shut, Henry spoke up. "Peter, what's on your arm?"

Peter stuttered, "Um uh my what? Nothing." He pulled his sleeve down, attempting to conceal the secret.

"No," Henry said. "There's a scar on your arm." He paused, grabbing peter's arm and pushing back the sleeve to get a closer look. "Almost a bite." Looking up at Peter, Henry locked eyes with him. Peter immediately pulled away and began to pick up firewood. "Peter!" Henry said sternly. He could tell that Peter had begun to slightly shake with nervousness. "Peter!" Henry's voice was rising with still no reply from Peter. "What the hell, Peter? Answer me."

"It's nothing," he finally replied. "It's just a scar."

"It's a bite."

"Yes, from, uh uh a dog." Peter's stammering continued as his nerves rose.

"A dog bite would not be shaped like that." A pause. "It's the size of a human mouth, Peter. Goodness, what are you and Valerie doing in this cabin of yours?"

"It's a... Look..." He glanced around them, back and forth, almost as if he was expecting someone to be listening in on their conversation. "The girls are going to get suspicious if we don't return soon. I'll meet you tomorrow, midday, in the clearing just north of the tower." And with that, Peter turned around, going back into the house, leaving Henry extremely confused but at the same time curious of what Peter had to tell him.

"See? It wasn't as bad as you though it was going to be," Valerie said after Henry and Prudence left.

"Yeah, not as bad." But it was. It was worse.

The next day Peter made his way to the clearing, going over a thousand different explanations in his head. _I bit myself_ was the stupidest of them all. There was _I cut myself on accident on day a few years ago. _There was also _I tripped and fell, cutting my am in the process. _His favorite, though, was _It's a love bite from Val. _

But Henry would not buy one of these, not one. Peter wasn't even sure if he would believe the true story. He hadn't mentioned the encounter to Valerie after Henry had left; Valerie would overact and panic. Peter was perfectly capable of handling this himself.

When Peter arrived at the clearing just North of the tower, Henry was already there, sitting on a large rock at the base of a tree. He looked up at Peter, not moving his head but his eyes. "Why couldn't you just tell me last night? It's a scar; it can't have that long of a story."

"Oh, but it does," Peter replied, leaning against a tree not far from Henry's perch. "But... You have to promise me, swear to me, that this stays with you and will go nowhere else. You have to swear to me that you will let me fully explain _everything_ before you react or say anything."

"I," Henry began, but stopped himself, thinking. "Fine, I swear, Peter. I will sit here in silence until you are finished."

"And it will never leave you...?" Peter reassured.

"Never leave me."

So he told him, Peter told him everything. He began with breaking it to him that Valerie's own father was the werewolf that murdered so many people just six years prior. He told him how both Peter and Valerie had worked together to kill him. He told him how, out of fear for Valerie's life, they had sunk the body in the lake.

At this point, Henry rested his head in his hands, trying to take everything in without reacting harshly.

Peter then told him how, before Valerie's father died, he bit Peter. Henry raised his head a little bit at this, remembering what Father Solomon had stressed: _A man bitten is a man cursed. _

Then peter went on to explain his two-year disappearance, something that Henry had wondered about himself. Most of the town came to the conclusion that he went into the city to find work. He told Henry that this was to train himself, to learn to control his instincts. This calmed Henry quite a bit. "And then, to be safe, I leave every full moon to keep Valerie and the rest of Daggerhorn safe. It's a curse, Henry, it is a curse, and I hate it. I would have killed myself a long time ago if it wasn't for Valerie."

Henry swallowed once and then asked, "Have you killed a human, Peter?"

"No, I have not, and I do not plan on ever killing a human."

This put Henry at ease for the next few minutes while he thought. Peter had basically given credit of his existence to Valerie—this caused a sharp pang of guilt to hit Henry.

Finally, he looked up at Peter. "It stays with me," Henry said. "And... Let Valerie know that I know now, that if, when you're gone, if she needs anything, to come to me."

Peter nodded once. "Thank you. I will."

They both said goodbye to one another and went on their way: Peter back to work and Henry back to his shop. Things still seemed at ease in Daggerhorn, but how long would they stay this way?

**A/N—not sure if I want to continue this story or not... let me know what you think! **


	4. Unraveling

**Red Hooded Secrets**

**A **_**Red Riding Hood **_**Fanfiction **

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. **

**Chapter 4: Unraveling**

The snow was beginning to melt, dampening the red cloak tied around Valerie's neck. _Drip, drip, _melted snow trickled down leaves and onto the already wet ground. When she entered the town that day, Valerie noticed Henry sitting inside his shop, idle. _He's always working, _she thought, and quickly rushed over to inquire about Henry's sullen expression.

"Henry?" She peeked her head inside the small one-room building. "Are you okay? You look sick."

"Oh, don't mind me," he replied, standing up and grabbing a piece of random scrap metal. He was pretending as if everything was normal. Everything was clearly not. "Just tired, that's all." Valerie sat down in the chair that had held Henry only a minute ago. "How is Peter?" he asked. It had been two weeks now since Peter had informed him of who... what... he was. Henry wanted to admit that it had settled in with him, but truly, it had not. It is not something that you just brush off quickly. He never went a day without it crossing his mind more than once. Henry wondered if Peter had told Valerie about their encounter.

"You know, don't you?" Valerie asked, scared of the reply. He set down the metal he had picked up, resting both hands on the high counter and pushing his weight into it. He bowed his head and looked at the dark floor. "Henry," she sighed. "Tell me."

"Yes, I do." Henry paused, thinking of how to best handle the situation. "I thought Peter would have told you." He wiped his hands off on a rag hanging on a hook above his bench. "Obviously he did not."

"Are... are you mad?" Valerie stood up and walked closer to Henry.

"It's not his fault," he shrugged. "Val...?" He turned to face her, grabbing her hands and holding them between their bodies. "Is that why? Were you angry? Upset? Lonely? Valerie, you were marri—"

"Stop it!" Valerie pulled her hands away from Henry's. "Just stop it! Stop making excuses. It did not happen. It did not happen. It did not happen," she repeated, pacing back and forth. "It did not happen." Henry caught her by the wrist and pulled her in. "I love Peter," she muttered. "I love peter."

"Val."

"I have to go." She rushed out of Henry's shop as fast as she could and went to her mom's home. Right before she brought up her hand to knock on the wooden door, she shook her head, turned around, and took off for the forest. "Peter!" she yelled. "Peter! Peter!" Finally she reached a group of men who had sat down for a break. This was the group that peter worked for, cutting down trees and doing odd-jobs for. "Where's Peter?" she asked Ashton, the red head who was closest to her.

"He didn't show up today," he told her.

"He... dammit!" She turned around in a fury and began running home. Peter was sitting on a boulder placed at the bottom of the steps. "Peter!"

"Val?" He looked up from his perch. "What's wrong?"

"You told Henry." Peter stood up. "You told Henry. I thought we decided to keep it a secret, Peter, a secret! That means we don't tell anyone! And how could you? How could you not even let me in on this little encounter?" Her voice was steadily rising. She threw the basket she held on the ground, its contents spilling out onto the wet, muddy ground. "Peter! Answer me!"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Peter tried to step closer to his wife, but she backed away in instinct. "He noticed the scar and questioned me about it. I had no choice. He saw right through me."

"But you did not tell me, Peter! I am your wife! You have to tell me things! What happened to trust?" Valerie pushed past Peter and went upstairs to their home.

"Valerie! You have to listen to me!" He followed after, but she shut the door hard in his face. "God Valerie!" He pushed open the door and found Valerie sitting in a chair he had made. "I was scared."

"Peter! But you didn't tell me! I would not have cared. We can trust Henry, but the fact that you did not tell me... How could you..." The couple was silent. _How could I? _Valerie thought. She was yelling at Peter, asking him how she could ever trust him. _Hypocrite, _she called herself. "I'm going for a walk."

Outside, Valerie wandered off the Peter-made path. _Drip, drip. _She pulled the red hood over her head to keep her hair from getting wet. Leaning against a tree, she sighed. "How could I trust him?" she laughed out loud. "How can he trust me?" Valerie pushed off of the tree trunk to stand up straight, but something stopped her. The red clock had caught on the thick bark. Valerie sighed out of frustration and pulled the soft red fabric carefully away from the tree. She would mend it tonight so it would not unravel further.


	5. Forgiveness

**Red Hooded Secrets**

**A **_**Red Riding Hood **_**FanFiction **

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. **

**A/N—Sorry for the short chapter! But I hope you guys like it! Please review! No reviews, no updates! :) **

**Chapter 5: Forgiveness**

The little black thread made its way through the blood-red fabric that sat in Valerie's lap. She was fixing the tear that had begun to unravel earlier that afternoon. She could feel Peter staring at her; she never looked up to know for sure, but she knew, she just new. "I'm sorry," she heard him softly say, not taking one eye off of his wife.

"Hm," Valerie huffed. "I'm sure you are."

"Val, please, you have to understand that I was scared you would be angry with me, and that I—"

"I am angry," she said, still focused on mending her riding hood.

"Yes, I know that, and I'm sorry, Val, I really am. I am sorry! I was scared you would be angry with me so I was waiting to figure out how to tell you, but I—"

"Two weeks, you waited two weeks."

"Yes, I did, and again, I am sorry, Valerie." Peter stood up and took the three small steps to Valerie's perch. He knelt down in front of her, pulling the needle and thread out of her hands, setting it down on the floor next to him, along with the hood. "Look at me, love," he said, tenderly bringing her face up with a gentle finger to look at him. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me." He lovingly kissed her hand. "Valerie, I know you cannot stay mad at me forever. You will smile at me in... There it is! See?" They were both silent for a minute or so. "I love you, Val." She leaned down and kissed Peter's forehead.

"I love you, too, and yes, I forgive you." She sighed. "Now, give me my work back, please. I would like to finish."

Peter chuckled as he handed the cloak back. "I have to go to town for a while. I promised Henry we could talk again."

"Ah," was all Valerie responded with. "Well, tell him I said hello." About ten minutes after Peter had left, there was a knock on the door. "One moment," Valerie called out so she could set her work down before opening the latch on the door to peek out at the visitor. Her face immediately went emotionless when she saw who was on her front porch. "Prudence," she uttered flatly prior to closing the latch and opening the door completely. This gave Valerie just enough time to compose herself. "May I help you?" she asked, letting Prudence into her home and closing the door behind her.

"Oh, nothing in particular," Prudence smirked and began to slowly circle the room, dragging her finger along the top of a chair. She was scheming; Valerie knew that face. All of a sudden, though, she turned sharply to face Valerie. "I know what you did."

Confused, Valerie asked, "What? Prudence, I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Please," she rolled her eyes.

"No, I honestly do not. Now, if you would so kindly explain to me what you are referring to, or you may leave."

"Valerie, the whole town knows. Well, besides Peter. And you and Henry obviously do not know that it is public knowledge." Prudence allowed herself to sit down in a random chair, not asking permission of her hostess first. "No one in the town wants to admit to it, though, for fear that you'll... well, you know." _Was that a witch comment? _Valerie thought. "You're lucky for that, too, because they would probably revert to killing you." _Yes, witch comment, indeed. _

Valerie's breathing halted for a brief second, the worst possible scenario finding its way into her thoughts. "What?"

Prudence shrugged. "All I'm saying is you know what you did, but more importantly, I know what you did." She stood up and took a few steps to the door. "So stay away from my husband."

"He's your fiancé," Valerie pointed out, "not your husband."

"In time, my dear." She placed her hand on the doorknob and opened the door. "Well, you can go back to your potions now, your rhymes, your spells, your charms, your whatever."

"I'm not a witch!" Valerie's voice rose as she snapped this at her guest. "Now, get out of my home or I may have to curse you," she retorted sarcastically.

After Prudence left, Valerie sat on the floor in the middle of the room. "Oh God, what have I done?"


	6. Spreading

**Red Hooded Secrets**

**A **_**Red Riding Hood **_**FanFiction **

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. **

**A/N—Follow me on Twitter YoursTruly101 for updates on when I post a new chapter/story on fanfic. I'll also Tweet when I need help with a story. Please send me a PM or let me know in a review that you are requesting to follow me, so I can approve you.**

**Please review. No reviews, no updates! :) And I apologize for the short chapter. I have time to write more... but I like how this one ends... you'll see...**

**Chapter 6: Spreading**

One lonely tear slid down Valerie's cheek and onto the red riding hood that was lying in her lap. She had still not finished mending the tear that had begun to unravel the day before. After Prudence left, Valerie sat in the middle of the floor, her head in her hands, muttering, "What have I done? What have I done? What will I do?" continuously. It was like the weight of her two simple secrets had all of a sudden grown to a thousand.

The first secret she shared with Peter. This was for their safety. And her mother's.

The second secret had been between Henry and herself. This was for their sanity and safety, but as it turned out, the entire town of Daggerhorn knew of this scandal, according to Prudence. Could Valerie trust Prudence, though? Did everyone but Peter really know of what Valerie did in his absence?

But the density of these two secrets had multiplied and multiplied to the point of placing an unbelievably unhealthy amount of stress on Valerie.

Beginning once again to mend her beloved red cloak, Valerie began thinking of how to approach Henry. She had an obligation to him to tell him. More than anything, she wanted to know whether or not Prudence had approached him yet. _It is entirely possible that she has, _Valerie thought. _But it is also entirely possible that she is tricking me. Maybe she does not know of what we did, but yet, she is merely messing with me. _She also had an obligation to talk to Peter, didn't she? He is her husband.

Another knock rang on the wooden door of the small home. Valerie quickly wiped away her tears and set her work down. She opened the latch, like before, half expecting Prudence to be standing on the other side again, but no, the visitor was a stranger to Valerie. Well, mostly a stranger.

"May I help you?" she politely asked the caller, keeping the door shut but the latch open for safety purposes.

"Hi Valerie. My name is Noah. I'm your brother."


	7. The Visitor

**Red Hooded Secrets**

**A **_**Red Riding Hood **_**FanFiction **

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. **

**A/N—Follow me on Twitter YoursTruly101. Please send me a PM or let me know in a review that you are requesting to follow me, so I can approve you.**

**Please review. No reviews, no updates! :) And pretty, pretty please let me know what you think about this new character... **

**Chapter 7: The Visitor **

Valerie moved the red cloak off of the chair so her visitor could sit down. No words had been exchanged between Noah and Valerie since he entered the home.

"Excuse me?" Valerie had murmured after hearing him tell her that he was her brother.

"If you let me in, I can explain," Noah told her. So, she let her supposed brother in and asked him to take a seat. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I shouldn't have come so... so sudden. I can only imagine what is going through your mind right now." Valerie nodded in agreement, he _could _only imagine. She sat down across from Noah. He sighed. "So, would you like an explanation?" he asked.

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Preferably." She was growing impatient.

"Before your mother," Noah began, "Our father loved another woman, my mother." Valerie's became big with surprise. "I heard that he was living in Daggerhorn. I came to visit him, but when I started asking around the town, I received the same answer from almost everyone. 'Oh, he disappeared six years ago.' Some said seven years, some said five. Then they all told me to find his daughter, Valerie. Here you are."

Valerie began to examine her visitor, looking him up and down, picking out the details. Eyes, her father's. Smile, her father's. Cheek bones, her father's.

Their father's.

"Here I am," Valerie said, almost inaudibly, but then louder, "Why are you here?" she asked, serious as ever.

"Was our father a...?" He did not finish the question. "Because I'm a... a..." Again, he did not finished what he was trying to say.

"Werewolf," Valerie blurted out, forgetting her cover.

"Wait... what? How do you..." _What is with this boy and not finished his sentences? _Valerie asked herself.

"It ran through his veins. It runs through mine. So it must run through yours," she explained her though process simply and sighed. "Does my mom know you're here?"

He shook his head no. "No, she does not." Valerie took note of the fact that Noah did not register the past tense she had used her father—it _ran_ through his veins.

Besides the rustle of the wind through the trees outside, there was silence between the two. Whether this was apprehension or pure curiosity, the couple did not even know themselves. Valerie, curious about this man, thought the worse: _Is this a trap? Is this a trap to get me to divulge my father's secret? So they can finally kill their _witch_? And kill Peter? _The fact that Valerie had never seen this man before calmed her nerves—he was not from Daggerhorn, but she would not put it past some of the people in the town to hire a man from the city to do their dirty work.

Finally, Noah broke the silence. "Have you ever... transformed?" It was clear that he had trouble forming that last word with his lips. The topic still seemed rather foreign to him, if, in fact, he was telling the truth.

"No... I don't think I have enough of that... _gene_ to do so." She bit her lip. "Have you?"

"Almost," Noah replied.

"Almost?"

"Almost. I was... angry with my older brother, and I began to shake uncontrollably, my eyes rolling back in my head, dark brown hair... or is it fur? Well, whatever it is, it began to cover my face." Noah looked down in his lap, letting this memory flood his mind once again. Looking back at Valerie, he finished, "But my mom quickly pushed Michael out of the house and sat me down on the bed, talking to me in a soothing voice as she attempted to calm my nerves. It worked."

"How did she know?" Valerie asked, curious to the fact that this woman, Noah's mother, knew about the werewolf lineage in her lover's blood, but yet her father had never told Valerie or the rest of her family.

"He had told her," Noah stated flatly. "Apparently she was there when something happened and he had no choice but to tell her... what he was." Valerie repositioned herself in her seat. "This was only two months ago when I found out... and here I am, wanting answers about what I am... What is wrong with me..."

The sound of footsteps outside of the home reached Valerie's ears, seconds before the front door opened, revealing Peter. Peter's eyes went from Valerie to Noah, Valerie to Noah, Valerie to Noah. "Who is this, Val?" he asked Valerie, going to stand behind his wife who was now standing herself, and placed a hand on the small of her back.

Possession.

"This... This is Noah," Valerie stuttered, making a quick decision that Peter will not know whom this man _truly _is. Yet. "He's new to the town. He was wandering around and found our home. I was just telling him about the ins and outs of Daggerhorn."

Noah nodded in agreement. "Yes, thank you, Valerie," Noah said, playing along. "I better get going. It was nice meeting you..." Noah left the end of his sentence empty and stuck his hand out to shake Peter's.

"Peter," he filled in the blank with his name. "Nice to meet you, too."

Valerie showed Noah out. The second the door was closed, Peter spoke up. "So... this Noah guy..."

"Sit down," Valerie demanded but in a soft voice. She had to tell Peter who Noah was to her. She could not burden herself with another secret from the one she loved. Peter did as he was told, and Valerie sat across from him. "Peter," she took a deep breath. "I'm not entirely sure who Noah is."

Confused, Peter said, "But you just told me he was new in Daggerhorn."

"Well, he is... but..." She bit her lip. "He claims he's my brother, Peter." Emotions of all kinds flashed across Peter's face. "My dad's," she clarified. "He says that he..." She moved her hands around, gesturing that she didn't have the words for it. "That... That he could very possibly most likely be a werewolf." Peter's jaw dropped just the slightest bit. "And that his mom... my dad's lover..." Valerie shuttered. "Knew about... stuff, that dad had told her everything."

"I don't trust him," was all Peter said, standing up.

Valerie stood up and followed his pacing. "But he seemed so genuine," she pleaded.

"Exactly. _Seemed,_" Peter spat. "It could all be a ploy to get information out of _us_, Valerie!" His voice was beginning to rise.

So Valerie did the same with hers. "But he looks like my dad, Peter!"

"Could just be a coincidence!"

"Really? _Really? _A coincidence? Sure, uh huh, that's what it is! Ugh!" Valerie plopped down on the bed in frustration. "Why can't you just trust my intuition for once?"

"I trust _you!_" He pointed at Valerie. "I do _not _trust _him!_" He pointed at the door, insinuating the _him_ to be Noah, if that was actually his name.

"Stubborn," Valerie mumbled under her breath. If Peter reacted this harshly to _Noah_, how was he going to react when Valerie told him her other secret, a secret much worse than this one in Valerie's eyes? She needed to talk to Henry first, though. _Henry will know what to do, _Valerie thought.


End file.
